"That"

So if I know the readers of this blog like I think I do, then this post will likely issue three different opinions.

Some of you, might "un-follow" Ladybugsndaisies, as a result of initial shock, and the common question- "Can Christians do 'that'?"

Some of you will likely disown me, with the excuse (you've been looking for one haven't you?) that it's against your principles to have friends that do "that".

Some of you might have your interest piqued and resolve to look into "that" for yourselves.

And the rest of you? Well you'll probably pass it off as "something Emily would do" or roll your

eyes, and in the good humored fashion I'm so terribly found of, tease me about "that" for the rest of my existence.

What? What exactly is "that" you say? Well, didn't I mention it? Well. Do forgive me.

"That" which I refer to, my dear friends, is:

Yoga.

Ahh. The bomb has been dropped.

But before you all run away and never come back, let me explain, and attempt to save my reputation. If I'm lucky, you'll think of me as a little fruity at best, or one fry short of a happy meal at worst.

But I haven't gone off the deep end I assure you. (LOL? Thought so.)

It all started about a year ago when I began looking for ways to stretch and relax my upper body, namely my back, shoulders and neck. As most of you know, I am a violinist and music teacher, and violinists as a rule tend to carry at least some tension in those areas.

I tried some basic stretching which helped to a point, but I began to realize that it was going to take more just a little stretching now and then to relieve the tension I felt almost constantly.

You guessed it, I thought of yoga. Now I admit, when the thought first occurred to me, I was hesitant. I'd heard of the physical benefits of course, but isn't yoga a lot of Hindu religious hooha?

(words like, meditation, Sanskrit, karma, and quantum energy came to mind.)

So, I started some research. And what did I find? Basically, yes, no, and it all depends.

When yoga first became popular in the 1960's (Dude, you know man, when the hippies were thrivin') it was practiced true to original form, both the spiritual and physical. The fact that

people like members of the Beatles rock n' roll group practiced it, skyrocketed its popularity.

But over time, the physical benefits came under scrutiny, and serious consideration.

Doctors started recommending it, and the while the spiritual aspect is still widely observed and

practiced, it isn't the only way.

Now, gyms and fitness centers all over America offer classes that are based on the principles of relaxation, flexibility and stress relief, minus the spiritual aspects.

In 2003, 15 million people practiced yoga. Wow. Just goes to show what happens when Mary tells Lucy about her new fitness class!

So basically, that's what I'm doing. My local fitness center just 3 minutes from my house has a class once a week, that I'm going to, as well as some do-it yourself yoga at home.

I've only been doing it for a few weeks, but already I see an improvement in my flexibility.

Apparently there are some 84,000 different poses and variations, so don't look to me as your local go-to guru, at least in this lifetime! (I know, that's not funny.)

I thought this made for an interesting post, something out the ordinary at least.

What do you think? Ever thought about yoga? Maybe you do yoga, or maybe this is just too far out for you. But I'm dying to hear what other people think about yoga in general.

So. Breath in, breath out slowly, and leave a comment so we can all see what side of the fence you're on. (of course if you're not sure, meditate on it for while and connect with your inner core)

Ok, enough of the corny jokes. Hope you enjoy the weekend everyone!

"Blessed are the flexible, for they can never be bent out of shape." ~ Anonymous